The Girl

A soufflé that refuses to rise...'Sing a song of sixpence....etc.'
Probably the road to making this tedious film was paved with good intentions, but despite some isolated tidbits here and there it pretty much fizzled. Apparently based on a book `Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and his Leading Ladies' by Donald Spoto as adapted for the screen by Gwyneth Hughes, the premise seems to be that Alfred Hitchcock was as much a strange personality as his movies were strangely unique. But fixating a film on the making of a single movie really doesn't do anybody justice and leaves the audience wonder `whaa.......?'

1963 and Grace Kelly has had the audacity to leave Hollywood to marry a Prince, leaving Alfred Hitchcock (Toby Jones) without his favored leading lady for this newest film. He finds an attractive blond (his predisposition for blonds becomes apparent) in the form of Tippi Hedren (Sienna Miller) to star in his horror film `The Birds'. Hitchcock's mousy wife Alma (Imelda Staunton) and his faithful secretary Peggy Robertson (Penelope...

A Rather Distasteful HBO Biopic That Explores The Dark Side Of Hitchcock, But Doesn't Dig Deep Enough Into The Characters
As a lover of movies, it's hard to deny the impact that Alfred Hitchcock had on the history of film. I was really excited to check out the HBO presentation of "The Girl" despite its somewhat incendiary subject matter. Telling of Hitchcock's obsession with Tippi Hedron, the film promised an unvarnished peek behind the genius. Hedron was picked from relative obscurity to play the leads in both "The Birds" and "Marnie" because, as we all know, Hitch had a thing for chilly blondes! I've certainly heard my fair share of stories about both Hitchcock and this relationship, in particular, through the years--so I had a good idea of what to expect from "The Girl" as it is presented from Hedron's vantage point. I'm sure that the great director had his share of idiosyncrasies and was no saint, but the grimly lascivious centerpiece of this story paints a pretty harrowing portrait of an icon. I don't even particularly mind that this is a negative portrayal of Hitchcock, I'm open to that...

3 1/2 stars for another side of Hitchcock
In 2012 audiences were hit by two dramatic biographies about famed director Alfred Hitchcock. "Hitchcock" hit theaters late in the year and focused primarily on the difficulty Hitchcock had getting "Psycho" made. While the film dances around possible dalliances with his blonde leading lady, Janet Leigh in that film or any before, no punches are pulled in "The Girl."

Hitchcock's next movie after "Psycho" was "The Birds" in 1963 followed quickly by "Marnie" in 1964. Both films featured Hitchcock's next blonde "find," Tippi Hedren. While there may be some controversy about the events, the HBO film was written by Gwyneth Hughes and is based on Donald Spoto's book, "Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and his Leading Ladies." The now 80-something Hedren has evidently authenticated much of the story.

Hitchcock is played by Toby Jones and does a much better Hitch than Anthony Hopkins did in the commercial film. Hedren is played by Sienna Miller, the single...

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